1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to agricultural compositions, in particular to field ready spray and tank mixes that include nitrogen containing isethionic acid salts.
2. Background of the Invention
It is known that multivalent water hardness ions (calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.) can inhibit the efficacy of numerous pesticides, especially weak acid herbicides. For example, the efficacy of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl glycine) is compromised when combined in a hard water solution containing calcium and magnesium ions. Calcium and magnesium ions will bind to glyphosate and render it less effective. This phenomenon is typical with aminophosphate herbicides as well as other weak acid herbicides. To overcome this problem, current commercial manufacturers of weak acid herbicide formulations recommend on their label the inclusion of ammonium sulfate in the spray solution. Numerous research studies have shown that ammonium sulfate in the spray tank solution will reduce the effect of the hard water ions on the efficacy of glyphosate formulations.
However, spray solutions that use ammonium sulfate have drawbacks. Ammonium sulfate grades range in color and purity. Often the applicator is force to handle large amounts of bulky un-dissolved solid lumps of ammonium sulfate which have absorbed moisture. These materials are hard to handle and do not dissolve easily in the spray solution. This leads to blocked filter screens in the spray rig and plugged nozzle tips during applications.
One way to overcome this disadvantage is to formulate the ammonium sulfate into a blended tank mix adjuvant formulation. These unfortunately can also have limitations and their own unique issues. Current commercial adjuvant formulations that contain ammonium sulfate have limitations based on the solubility of the ammonium sulfate. The high solids content necessary to achieve the water conditioning effects from the ammonium sulfate may cause incompatibilities in the formulated tank mix adjuvant. Other components in the formulation may have incompatibilities due to the lack of water in the product. Similarly these materials may not be present at proper rates and reduce the overall efficacy of the ammonium sulfate and the adjuvant component. This may have the further disadvantage of preventing the use of some companion herbicides and adjuvants in the spray tank.
The use of ammonium sulfate may limit the efficacy of the pesticide on the vegetation. The ammonium sulfate formulation may reduce the surface properties of the spray solution in the spray tank and may limit the effectiveness of the pesticide on the target organism.